Tenets of Jainism
By : Shri Gian Muni Ji Translated From Hindi By Shri S. R. Jain, Ludhiana
According to Jainism God is the soul Most High-All-Truth. All-Knowledge and All-Bliss, Free of all Attachment or Aversion, Omniscient and Omnipotent. He has no hand-direct or indirect-in the governance of this Universe. He is not the creator of this world, Architect of human fate or the Awarder of human actions. The whole world of experience can be explained by the principle of Karma without the intervention of a divine force. Pleasure or pain are of man's own making, God has no art or part in it.
Soul, according to the Jain theory, is eternal without beginning or end, endowed with consciousness, doer of Karmas or actions leading to punya (merit) or Pappa (demerit) and Sufferer there of. The world process too is eternal where in six substances (Druvyas)- Jiva or Jivatma (Soul) 'Pudgala (matter); Dharmasti Kaya and Adharmasti Kaya (Principles of motion or rest governing the Jivas and Ajivas alike); Akasha (space) and kala (time or the principle of continuity) - intract. They are uncreated and everlasting from the point of view of their absolute nature, though relatively speaking they may be said to have both a beginning and end. The last five of these six substances are included under the general heading of Ajiva. Consciousness (chaitan) is the very essence of Jiva whereas Ajiva is just the reverse of it - unconscious and insentient- (Jar) These substances with the exception of matter of course, are not to be taken in a physical sense. The best way to understand their nature is to consider them as different kinds of rhythm or activity since they all perform certain functions. But their functioning is on account of their own nature and not the out come of any external force or decree.
Jainism considers that being as Avtar (Incarnate of the Exalted One) who has attained to the highest state of spiritual development a perfect soul embodied. It further holds such a soul having get rid of the body and become a siddha-the perfect soul in Nirvana that God is, is never reborn as an Avtar or other wise.
Salvation, under Jainism, is that state of the soul when Jiva purged of every tinge of Karmic influence frees itself from the cycle of births and deaths and having attained to this state of purification and perfection there is no going back from it. God in Jainism, as already said, is only another name for the ideal Jiva in soul perfect in Moksha state. Thus in rejecting the idea of a creative God Jainism does not reject the idea of God head.
Jainism recognizes that person as Sadhu who practices the five major vows of truth, non-violence stealing, celebacy and non-attachment. Jain sadhus never warm themselves before five even in the severest cold or take water after sunset even if their throats be awfully parched. They would starve themselves to death rather than taste uncooked vegetables and raw ones or taboo even to touch. They are perfect tectotlars and complete abstainers. On their travels and journeys they walk on food and barefooted at that and would never agree to the use of a horse, tonga or another form of conveyances. They observe complete self-control taking care not even to touch the person of a female. They do not keep any money with them and live on begged food for which they make use of wooden receptacles, metallic ones being absolutely tabooed. They accept no offerings and in rain or must they do not leave their place for obtaining food. Nor do they call at a house where some other beggar is already staidng. They would not demand or accept anything from a woman if she be sneaking her child or if she be at an advanced stage of pregnancy lest she or her child be inconvenienced in any way. At night they remain and sleep under a roof all the year round, never making use of a charpai or sofar. They have no Dera, Math or another place of their own. Generally speaking their followers at different places manage to raise a simple building not furnished in any way for their congregational meetings and other allied purposes and this also affords them shelter for the night. Where there is no such building called upashra or sathanak or in between their travels they re-journ at any roofed quarter but not without first having obtained the permission of the owner thereof. A woman is not allowed to enter after sunset any such building or quarter where a Jain Sadhu be taking up his abode for the time being. a piece of white cloth covering their mouth - intended to save the minutes creatures in the atmosphere from being harmed in any way by the expired air-and a staff consisting of woolen threads attached to a small wooden rod called Rajo Harni - the dust remover - are the external signs which mark a Jain Sadhu. In short Jain Sadhu lead a most simple and hard life of complete non-attachment, laying no claim to any worldly possession, practicing many austerivies and penances, keeping their physical needs at the barest minimum and pass their time in study and meditation giving the message of Truth and non-violence to the people at large. The object behind this hard discipline - Sadhua is to remove the veil of Karma which gets attached to the soul in a subtle form and obscures its radiance and to restore the Jiva to its true knowledge, 'the full blaze of omniscience'.
Jain Dharma also prescribes an ethical code of conduct for the ordinary householders, the shrawaks as distinguished from the ascetics or the Sadhus who have renounced the world. A shrawak is one whose conception of God is that of an emancipeted soul, who regards the practicer of the five major vows as his teacher or guru and who himself observes the minor vows of ethical conduct in the discharge of his daily routine of mundane affairs. These minor vows are to all intents and purposes the same as the major vows enjoined upon the Sadhus but shrawaks being worldly men are allowed certain latitude in their observance, so whereas a sadhu's vows are unqualified those of a shrawak are some what qualified by the prevailing circumstance. A shravak also shuns the seven vices of drinking, meat-eating, hunting, gambling, stealing & prostituting or having illicit connection with any woman other than his wife. Trying to live upto the high ideal of live & let live he refrains from doing injury to the meanest creature on this earth and seems to serve his country and fellowmen with all his mind, body and wealth.
Jainism recognizes the traditional class - dovosopms pf spcoetu omtp Brahmins, Kashatriyas, Vaishas & Shudras on but on the basis of worth & not birth.
Jain Dharma enjoins that the high ideal of 'Ahimsa Parmo Dharma' can be lived up to only through service-service to all living being especially the weak and the helpless 'By love serve one another, ought to be our motto in life. The attainment of the status of Tirthankar - the highest position attainable by the soul through spiritual development is possible only through service and sacrifice.
Jainism teaches friendliness towards all, regard for the virtuous, kindliness towards the afflicted and the distressed and in dulgence towards the advers aries. It also forms every act or conduct conducive to the welfare and uplift of humanity and is totally opposed to any move smocking of injustice, violence or tyranny.
Jainism does not approve of the practice of feeding the Brahmins with a view to satisfying and pleasing one's; dead forbears. If is were possible to satiate the hunger of the dead through Shradh, one could also feel satisfied during the shradh-fortnight, without feeding oneself. Nor does it look upon pilgrimage to holy places or having a dip in holy waters as a means of purifying the soul which as a matter of fact is bound up with the practice of truth and Ahimsa in thought, word and deed. Jainism also looks as chance upon such behests as 'there is no heaven for a soulless man'. It is not on account of one's sons and daughters but entirely due to the nature of one's karmas that one rises to dizzy heights or falls to obysmal depths in this life and beyond.
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